Space: Above and Beyond
"From this moment until we win this war, the only easy day is yesterday." - Sergeant Major Frank Bougus Set in the years 2063–2064, the show focuses on the "Wildcards", members of the United States Marine Corps Space Aviator Cavalry, 58th Squadron. They are stationed on the space carrier USS SARATOGA. The main characters fill roles as infantry and pilots of SA-43 Endo/Exo-Atmospheric Attack Jet fighters. The Wildcards are the central focus of the series, which follows them as they grow from untried cadets into veterans. Synopsis In the years leading up to 2063, humanity has begun to colonize other planets. Without warning, a previously unknown alien species, the "Chigs", attack and destroy Earth's first extra-solar colony and then destroy a second colony ship. The bulk of the Earth military forces sent to confront the Chigs are destroyed or outflanked. In desperation, unproven and under-trained outfits like the "Wildcards" are thrown against the Chigs. Although the unified Earth forces come under the control of a reformed United Nations (UN), the UN has no armed forces of its own and therefore navies such as the United States Navy and the Royal Navy operate interstellar starships. The Space: Above and Beyond milieu includes an underclass race of genetically engineered and artificially gestated humans who are born at the physical age of 18, and are collectively known as "In Vitroes" or sometimes by the derogatory name "tanks" or "nipple-necks". The In Vitroes have replaced the previous underclass, the artificially intelligent cyborgs known as "Silicates". These human-looking androids, referred to as "walking personal computers". The Silicates have rebelled, formed their own societies, and wage a guerrilla war against humans. The Silicates are also suspected of having some involvement with the Chigs. Story arcs Space: Above and Beyond connects episodes through several prominent story arcs I addition to the main story arc of the Chig War. The Chig War (2063–) The Chig War, taking place six years after the AI War (2047–2057), represents a major setback for human space exploration. In the first half of the series, the Chig War progressed rather grimly for humanityNever No MoreThe Angriest Angel, but with superior military strategies like covert operationsHostile VisitWho Monitors the Birds? or disinformationStardust, the humans are able to gain an upper hand and are able to launch major offensives. With the Chig War as the main story arc of the series, Space: Above and Beyond probes human emotion in extreme desperation and conflict, and a generation that will grow up enveloped in them. The important motifs which can be gleaned from this story arc are those that can be found in a variety of war dramas: loyalty, courage, and the significance of individual actions. Nathan West and Kylen Celina The Nathan West and Kylen Celina story arc is a theme present in many episodes following Kylen, who had been taken hostage by the ChigsThe Farthest Man from Home. Instead of her, the device appearing in most of the episodes is an audio recording photographic tag she gave to Nathan, with the recording of Kylen saying: "I believe in you."Pilot When Kylen was rescued and was onboard the Saratoga briefly before returning to Earth, she replaced the recording with: "I believe in all of you."...Tell Our Moms We Done Our Best The relationship between Nathan West and Kylen Celina is placed against and interwoven with the Chig War story arc, adding the motif of hope and faith. As the rescue of Kylen Celina appears to be a key symbol of hope and motivation for the "Wildcards", this story arc also appears to be a driving force of the overall series. The In Vitroes As artificially gestated humans, the In Vitroes do not share social equality with those viviparously born, or so-called "naturally born". They are derisively termed "tanks" by regular humans, which seems to be a double entendre, describing not only their method of birth but also their physical toughness, which is always greater than "naturals", and the disposable nature of them, the first to come in battle, the "tanks" that open the way for the infantry. In Vitroes also seem to refer to themselves as "tanks" amongst themselves. Before its abolition, they were subject to indentured servitudeMutiny and there is still considerable racial segregation and resentment by normal humansPilotEyes, and governmental abuse for morally dubious purposes. Two main characters, 1LT Cooper Hawkes and LT COL Tyrus Cassius 'T. C.' McQueen, have to face all the ramifications of such a society from their perspective as In Vitroes. This repeating theme explores topics such as racism and prejudice in a society, and also freedom. It differs from other story arcs in its complexity in the form of a division into two substories. One is presented as historical narration by the charactersMutinyDear Earth or flashbacksWho Monitors the Birds?. The second occurs in the present, with the experiences of Cooper Hawkes and T. C. McQueen, including a subtle substory of the shifting relationship between Nathan West and a maturing Hawkes.EyesStay with the Dead The Silicates The Silicates, or AI rebels, stole military spacecraft at the end of the AI War and went into space (episode 1.04). During the Chig War, Silicates collaborate with the Chigs, acting as mercenaries (episodes 1.04, 1.16, 1.19) and operating mining and prison facilities for the Chigs (episode 1.10). There is a sub-story arc, Paul Wang and Elroy EL, in which Paul Wang must deal with the fact that under torture, he falsely confessed to having committed war crimes (episodes 1.10, 1.16, 1.19). Nathan West and Neil West The relationship between Nathan West and his younger brother Neil is a short story arc in the episodes 1.02, 1.17, and 1.18. It is used to explore the emotions associated with the amount of human loss and sacrifices to a much greater degree than any episode before 1.17. Aero-Tech and the UN The dark Aero-Tech and the UN story arc injects an element of conspiracy and high-level cover-up. Aero-Tech, founded in 2015 (episode 1.24), appears to be a monopolistic aerospace and defense supplier. It is connected with the UN by Aero-Tech's clearly evident political power, both with the UN (with a former Aero-Tech director becoming the United Nations Secretary-General in episode 1.07) and with the armed forces, as evidenced by its control over advanced technologies (episodes 1.03, 1.10, 1.16). It is also suspected that Aero-Tech was aware of the Chigs before the rest of humanity, and deliberately endangered the Vesta and Tellus colonists (episodes 1.07, 1.24). Aero-Tech further gathers, uses or withholds key strategic information in pursuit of its own corporate agenda (e.g. episodes 1.03, 1.09, 1.10, 1.16). The Aero-Tech and the UN story arc explores topics such as power, intrigue, politics, the military-industrial complex and perhaps to some degree also the ethics]of science in the service of military and corporate interests and moral responsibility. Other Topics Explored Beside the story arcs described above, there are 5 "disconnected" episodes not used to carry on any of the story arcs beside the overall Chig War story arc. These are episodes 1.06, 1.08, 1.11, 1.14, and 1.20. Some of the episodes have a less prominent motif, while others explored topics outside any of the main story arcs. Yet other topics also have been explored in episodes related to a story arc. Examples of these additional topics are: fear and revenge (episode 1.04), loss and sacrifice (episodes 1.06, 1.11), subconscious fears (episode 1.08), parapsychological abilities and responsibility (episode 1.14), drug addictions (episode 1.20), desperation and hope (episodes 1.13, 1.22). Beside the story arcs, several episodes also explore other private relationships of the characters in war time (e.g. episodes 1.05, 1.15, 1.18). Ending The final episode (1.24) ends in an open-ended fashion, where T. C. McQueen is badly injured and most of the major cast is apparently killed or missing in action, with only Cooper Hawkes and Nathan West remaining. Yet with Earth in a much stronger strategic position, there is hope despite the losses and sacrifices. Although sometimes perceived as a cliffhanger, this was the ending the producers chose when it was evident that the show was about to be cancelled. Even with this ending, the producers still planned a possible continuation in a second season, with T. C. McQueen returning to Earth to treat his injuries, possibly given an AI prosthetic leg, and the "Wildcards" receiving a new female commanding officer.Scifi.com Interview with Glen Morgan & James Wong. January 27, 1998. Transcript available here http://web.archive.org/web/20060920033629/http://www.scifi.com/transcripts/MorganWong.html via the Internet Archive Scifi.com interview with James Morrison. Transcript available here http://web.archive.org/web/20060912221842/http://www.scifi.com/transcripts/JamesMorrison.html via the Internet Archive References Category:Space: Above and Beyond